Mine's built into the range hood, and my in-laws have theirs on a raised built-in shelf. But yeah, I don't think nukers on the counter are exactly uncommon. His looks pretty tacky like that, though, as it doesn't match anything else in the room.

i had no idea. i'm going to pay more attention to where people put their microwave from now on.
but i agree with the rest of your comment, in a kitchen that size the microwave may look a little misplaced.